An Unquenchable Thirst: A Memoir

At seventeen, Mary Johnson experienced her calling when she saw a photo of Mother Teresa on the cover of Timemagazine; eighteen months later she began her training as a Missionary of Charity, a nun in Mother Teresa's order. Not without difficulty, this boisterous, independent-minded teenager eventually adapted to the sisters' austere life of poverty and devotion, but beneath the white-and-blue sari beat the heart of an ordinary young woman who faced daily the simple and profound struggles we all share, the same desires for love and connection. Eventually, after twenty years of service, Johnson left the church to find her own path, but her magnificently told story holds universal truths about the mysteries of faith and how a woman discovers herself.

"A wonderful achievement . . . Johnson opens the window on a horizon of spiritual questions [and] takes an unflinching look inside her own heart."—The Christian Science Monitor

"An incredible coming-of-age story . . . [It] has everything a memoir needs: an inside look at a way of life that most of us will never see, a physical and emotional journey, and suspense."—Slate

"Reads like a novel . . . an exacting account of a woman growing into her own soul."—Moremagazine

"Engaging, heartfelt and entertaining . . . [Johnson] articulates her struggles with her God in words that will hit home."—Los Angeles Times

"An inspiration that transcends any particular religious belief . . . An Unquenchable Thirstis a journey that captivates, but its resonance lies in the life examined."—The Denver Post